AWMA InfoMetrics, the new industry platform for gathering, aggregating, analyzing, and selling distributor data is up and running, with the customized distributor portals turned on and data sale to manufacturers underway.  The program has the potential to revolutionize things in the convenience channel by providing manufacturers and distributors alike with a much clearer picture than ever before about what’s truly going on in our industry.

The AWMA Data Project Committee created the program working with InfoRhythm, an independent company based in Pittsburgh, PA.  The Southern Association of Wholesale Distributors has also partnered with AWMA in this program.

Currently, 52 distributors are signed up to submit data to the program.  These distributors have a total of 82 warehouses, which deliver to more than 80,000 stores.  Of these, 41 distributors are through the testing process and are sending in weekly data on a total of 72 warehouses, which delivered to over 77,000 stores during the last year.  So even now, with more distributors to sign up, and a few still getting reporting kinks worked out, roughly half of the c-stores out there are represented by the data being reported through InfoMetrics.

As far as selling the data goes, the sales team at InfoRhythm has been in substantive discussions with 21 manufacturers and nine formal proposals have been sent out.  

Data in itself is meaningless.  You can have reams of raw data that sits around gathering dust.  Data has to be in an easy to digest form to be worth anything at all.  That is where the people who have built the AWMA InfoMetrics user interface have shown true brilliance.  InfoMetrics makes the spotting trends in the data and drilling down to get more information intuitive and easy.  That is true for both participating distributors viewing their own data against the aggregate in their custom distributor portals and for manufacturers viewing purchased data on their categories.  You don’t have to be a statistician, a computer programmer, or a data expert to make use of the InfoMetrics system.   

The credibility and usability of the data, its availability in real time, and the breadth of the coverage is what makes the system truly revolutionary.  We live in a “turn on a dime” world, and that is what this system is designed for.  Whether you are a distributor or a manufacturer, you owe it to yourself and your company to find out more about the InfoMetrics program, if you haven’t already done so.  We will be talking quite a bit about InfoMetrics at the AWMA Summit in September in Key Biscayne, Florida.

If you are a distributor interested in learning more –  call or e-mail Scott Ramminger at (703) 208-1641;  scottr@awmanet.org.  

If you are a manufacturer interested in finding out more about purchasing data, contact Brad Cline at InfoRhythm, at (412) 697-2665;  brad.cline@inrhythm-inc.com.